Dr. Virtanen to Present at Sonderegger Symposium on U.P. Studies Nov. 6

Dr. Hilary-Joy Virtanen, Assistant Professor of Finnish & Nordic Studies at Finlandia University, will present her research on Yooper stereotypes at Northern Michigan University’s annual Sonderegger Symposium on Upper Peninsula Studies on Friday, November 6. Traditionally, the symposium takes place on the campus of NMU in Marquette, but this year’s symposium will be an entirely virtual event that can be accessed through the Zoom online meeting platform.

The Sonderegger Symposium is a day-long event presenting the research of scholars and experts from a variety of fields including history, folklore, political science, biology, art, sociology, and more. What unites these researchers is their interest in the Upper Peninsula and their engagement with the people, landscape, and flora and fauna of the region.

Virtanen will engage with this year’s theme of Insider/Outsider by comparing Yooper stereotypes created by Yoopers themselves with those by others. Other panels include topics in indigenous studies, the LGBTQ community, vernacular architecture, regional artists, invasive fish species, traditional music, labor history, religious history, and more.

The entire symposium will be available for viewing on November 6 via Zoom links. Two online rooms will be available, offering simultaneous presentations on different topics. All lectures will also be recorded for viewing later. Virtanen’s talk, “Images of the Yooper: Stereotypes from the Inside and Out,” will take place at 9:30 a.m. in Room One as part of a lecture and discussion panel “What is a Yooper?”.

For more information on the Sonderegger Symposium, its full schedule, and links to access the presentations the day of the conference, visit the symposium website at https://www.nmu.edu/upperpeninsulastudies/schedule